@Roberrttthom: It feels like Steven Parker is slightly favoring Oklahoma State right now, what are the chances that they land him?

They’re good. But I do believe OU and Texas A&M are just as much in the mix as they have been over the past few months. A few things to take into consideration regarding OSU’s chances: 1. Playing time at safety should be up for grabs with the upcoming graduation of Shamiel Gary and Daytawion Lowe. 2. He’s constantly hearing about OSU from current Pokes commitment and teammate Dylan Harding. It’s going to be Bedlam for his commitment. See what I did there?

@todd_spurgin: Do you think OU's recruiting is going to continue to be such a struggle getting big nasties/linebackers?

For the foreseeable future? Possibly. But I do think the Sooners will get it figured out by the time it’s all said and done. They missed out on a few guys who I thought they’d have right now in Ty Barrett and Frank Kee.

@JC22101022: What are recruits (who are considering Texas for this year and the future) saying about Texas current program state?

There are a few major concerns, which are completely understandable. The first, and obvious one, is Mack Brown’s future. If he goes you could see Texas recruiting take a hit if it doesn’t hire a home-run replacement. If he does stay, will the program have improved by year’s end? These recruits want to see if Texas can win like these players saw while they were growing up. You’ve got to remember, when these players were growing up, Texas was winning 10-plus games a season. There is also concern about Greg Robinson and the direction of this defense. Will he be the defensive coordinator long term? How will he relate to recruits if he is?

A few names to keep an eye on are Rowlett (Texas) defensive tackle Cedric Johnson, and Arizona linebacker commitments Jamardre Cobb and Marquis Ware. Johnson visited in the spring and one more visit could seal the deal. As for the LBs, they are committed to Arizona but are still going to take an official visit to OU on Oct. 4. That will be the Sooners’ best chance to add another California linebacker to their 2014 class.

@LundbergLance: My Horns haven’t been so hot as everyone knows the last few years. When will recruiting take a big hit because of that?

In some ways, it’s already affected them. You saw that during the 2013 recruiting cycle when numerous players decommitted. That never used to happen at UT under Mack Brown. You’ve seen two players decommit already in 2014. But where it could really hurt Texas is in 2015. The state is loaded with players who have high interest in the Longhorns but won’t commit unless they see improvement. Texas needs to win or risk losing out on a big opportunity in 2015.

Junior college offensive guard Frank Kee (Mansfield, Texas/Tyler Junior College) remembers he was in this position two years ago. He was a highly recruited offensive lineman who had a recruiting process slowed by academics, then halted by injury.

Wednesday afternoon symbolized the culmination of a lessons-learned type of chapter for Kee. It also introduced the next chapter of his football career, one that will continue in the Big 12 -- very close to his home of Mansfield.

Kee, a 6-foot-4, 345-pound lineman, announced via his Twitter account (@kidd_frankie79) that he has verbally committed to TCU. Kee, who confirmed the commitment via phone, chose the Horned Frogs over Big 12 offers Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas Tech. He is the eighth commitment and the first juco pledge for TCU’s 2014 recruiting class.

“In high school, I didn’t make the grades, and I tore my ACL my senior year,” Kee said. “I never got a chance to experience all of this. Now that I got to do it, and to see my dad’s face, it’s just a blessing.”

Kee said he knew where he wanted to go on Tuesday and chose TCU because of the coaching staff and comfort level. He also is expecting to instantly come in and compete for a starting spot. He is coming off a freshman campaign at Tyler where he was named an all-Southwest Junior College Football Conference honorable mention selection.

“It fit me, position wise,” Kee said of TCU. “I’m going to get a chance to compete for a starting job and make a difference.”

Recruited by offensive line coach Eddie Williamson, Kee is quite familiar with the Horned Frogs’ offensive scheme. At Timberview High School, he was coached by offensive coordinator Cody McCarty, a former TCU tight end who died suddenly in October 2011. McCarty meant a lot to Kee, and Kee felt like making the decision to play for the Horned Frogs was the right move for several reasons.

“They’ve been recruiting me since my senior year,” Kee said. “I really love it up there. It’s like a family affair. Coach McCarty played for TCU, and when he came to Timberview, our whole offense was like TCU’s offense.

“Coach Williamson coaches like Coach McCarty, and I feel like I can really fit in there. I’m excited about it.”

Kee added that all five of his finalist had something special he liked. He was a fan of Baylor’s academics and rapid rise in football, Texas Tech’s new, upbeat coaching staff, and the coaching tandem of Mike Gundy and Joe Wickline at Oklahoma State. He also looks at Oklahoma as a consistent conference contender.

But in the end, it was all TCU. Some might say it was always TCU. Had he not had injury and academic issues, he might have been a Horned Frog in 2012.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Kee said. “I just think it’s a blessing to be here now.”

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On The Trail is ESPN RecruitingNation's home for all the latest news and information. With some of the nation's top recruiting writers contributing, OTT provides the latest details about commitments, visits and other notes to give fans the most comprehensive recruiting news source in the country.